Lewis Hamilton
The Miami Grand Prix is live on BBC Radio 5 Live and the BBC Sport website

Lewis Hamilton wants the governing body of Formula 1 to back down on its strict approach to drivers.

Body piercings and neck chains are not allowed in the Miami Grand Prix.

The new focus on the issue was described by Hamilton as almost a step backwards.

It seems pointless to get into this. He said that he was here to be an ally of the sport.

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Hamilton, the driver who wears most jewellery out of the car, said that he only wore earrings and nose ring when in it.

It is a new issue this year after the controversy of last year's title-deciding Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Wittich has taken a less flexible approach to many areas of the rule book.

Hamilton said he reached out to the president of the FIA on Friday to try to resolve the stand-off, but he didn't get through.

The seven-time champion said that he would sign a waiver to take the responsibility away from them if necessary.

I tried to call Mohammed this morning, but he was busy, so I sent him a message. I told him I wanted to be an ally. I don't want to fight with you.

It has never been a safety issue in the past. We have a spare driver if they stop me. There are a lot of things to do.

Mercedes has not confirmed that he is complying with the requirement to not wear any jewellery, in the form of body piercing or metal neck chains.

The issue is not likely to be taken as a reason to stop a driver racing.

Pierre Gasly was a colleague of Hamilton's.

The Frenchman believes there are bigger things to focus on. I am grateful that the FIA is looking after our safety. I am religious and there are things I don't feel comfortable not having in the car.

We are the ones who put our lives at risk and I think it's a personal choice. I hope we could find a better solution than this one.

Mercedes
Mercedes have brought upgrades to Miami

Hamilton shrugs off critics

Hamilton is in a Mercedes team that is not competitive.

In the last race, he was passed by Max Verstappen after being stuck behind slower cars, which prompted Red Bull's motorsport adviser to say that perhaps Hamilton should have retired at the end of last year.

To be honest, Hamilton doesn't listen to those silly comments. I have seen a lot of disrespectful comments over the years, but it is to be expected.

I keep my head down. I know who I am. I enjoy what I do.

We didn't come out the starting blocks the way we wanted, but we're fighters and if you don't know that, you don't know me. I will do my best to be with the team and fight as hard as possible.

Will Mercedes improve with car developments?

Despite the team bringing their first serious development parts this season, Hamilton was not expecting a significant improvement in Mercedes performance in Miami.

There are new front and rear wings to try and reduce the high-frequency bouncing on the straights known as "porpoising", which is promoted by aerodynamic disruption under the car.

He was asked if he expected the developments to improve Mercedes' position.

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